Social Media Policies

1. The NLRB has made findings regarding the use of employee posts on Social Media sites to discipline or terminate those employees. Typically these cases occur when an employee posts “negative” information about their current employer or boss. Sometimes these are “public” and other times the employer uses “spies” or “fake friending” to see the Facebook page of the employee.
Find at least one case or article online regarding this topic, and briefly explain the facts of the case, and the determination of the NLRB as to whether the employee was properly or improperly disciplined or terminated as a result of their use of Social Media to complain about, criticize, or publicly bash their company or boss. Provide the citation to the article you discover. (Use the term “concerted activity” in your query or search to help you find one of these cases.) (20 points)
In an article obtained from the site NixonPeabody.com dated May 11, 2012, it appears three employees of a retail store were wrongfully fired because of Facebook discussions. The employees had made formal complaints about working late hours in a neighborhood where they did not feel safe. To their dissatisfaction, there was never a permanent resolution generated from the issue even with the owner involved. Obviously frustrated, the employees made posts on Facebook where they vented and made comments such as, “I’m physically and mentally sickened” (Devendra & Jackson). Once the company discovered the posts were made, they soon fired two of the three employees and later fired the third employee.
The findings of the NLRB proved that the employer was in the wrong for firing each employee. “The decision concluded that the Facebook comments were protected concerted activity because the postings were a continuation of the employees’ efforts to raise concerns about working late in an unsafe neighborhood” (Devendra…...

Similar Documents

...Social Media Policies
Bobbi McGuire
DeVry University
Question 1:
In my search for an article containing lawsuits involving employee posts on social media networks, I was quite surprised to learn how much of problem this has become. According to Melanie Trottman (2011) of the Wall Street Journal, employees that have been severely disciplined or terminated due to their activities on social media websites have been retaliating by use of the National Labor Relations Act of 1935. This law provides employees that work in private-sectors the right to voice their opinion in regards to employment conditions, such as pay and safety.
The National Labor Relations Board is the organization that has the final say when determining whether or not an employee has a valid complaint. If the employee’s complaint is found to be valid the NLRB will file a civil complaint against the employer on behalf of the employee. In these cases the complaint is then heard by a NLRB judge who suggests a solution to the employee’s complaint.
One lawsuit Trottman provided that caught my interest involved a paramedic from Connecticut that was fired for calling her employer a “scumbag” on her home computer’s Facebook page. As stated by Trottman this was the NLRB’s “first ever involving a firing related to social media” (Trottman, 2011). The findings of the NLRB were that the employee was wrongfully terminated, because the employee made the comment to other employees about the actions of their......

...WARSAW SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
Internet privacy policy: violations and regulations. Social media context
Natalia Wójcik
Index number: 51149
1
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….3 2. Theoretical background…………………………………………………………...4 3. E-commerce and e-marketing influence on privacy violations…………….5 4. Social networking, Web 2.0……………………………………………………….7 5. Social media privacy policy………………………………………………………8 6. Privacy policy concerns based on a particular social media example….13 7. Process of implementation of social networking regulations…………….17 8. Conclusions and final remarks…………………………………………………22 9. Bibliography………………………………………………………………………..24
2
1.INTRODUCTION
Throughout the last 20 years the role of the Internet has grown enormously is every individual’s life. The Internet has its roots in 1960, when the US government attempted to build robust, fault-tolerant and distributed computer networks. However, the beginning of the worldwide process of Internet expansion may be dated to 1980 and was triggered by the development of new networking technologies and mergers of many less significant networks with the financial support of the National Science Foundation and other private commercial funding. This led to further advancement in technological improvements and their incorporations as well as wider participation of ordinary users all over the world. The Web rapid expansion reaches back to the 90’. According to the Internet World......

...Social Networks and their impact on Availability, Confidentiality and Integrity
Musa Ramadhani
Davenport University
IAAS 667 - Legal and Ethical Security Topics
Deanne Cranford-Wesley
Table of Contents
Abstract 3
Introduction 4
Problem Statement 7
Literature Review 8
Findings 11
Military Families 12
Identifying your social media users 16
Common myths about Social Media 17
Data leakage and non-disclosure 17
Social Media Squatting 18
A new generation of hackers 18
The high cost of inaction 19
Harm to brand reputation 19
Lost productivity 19
Strains on bandwidth 20
Implementing effective Practices 20
Recommendations 21
Creating an Account 21
General Recommendations 22
Conclusion 26
References 28
Abstract
Social networking sites spread information faster than any other media. Over 50% of people learn about breaking news on social media. 65% of traditional media reporters and editors use sites like Facebook and LinkedIn for story research, and 52% use Twitter. Social networking sites are the top news source for 27.8% of Americans, ranking close to newspapers (28.8%) and above radio (18.8%) and other print publications (6%). Twitter and YouTube users reported the July 20, 2012 Aurora, CO theater shooting before news crews could arrive on the scene, and the Red Cross urged witnesses to tell family members they were safe via social media outlets.
In the same breath one could argue that social media......

...points of this article are the following:
• Even though employees misuse social media, it can be a powerful tool that companies can use to promote ethical practices and culture.
• Having a salient social media policy and training employees can change behaviors while improving compliance and reducing risk.
• CPR (communicate, prepare, and review) is essential.
o Communicate – Have a clearly printed document so employees know its OK to post the company logo on Facebook
o Prepare – Train and educate staff
o Review - Use Internet/security monitoring to determine whether the policy is working
• If a company decides not to be active on social media, the employees should be trained to use the tools, especially the privacy settings and have a cogent argument on the reasons.
• Companies should think broadly about social media, setting up a “full-blown” Facebook or Linkedln page for ethics isn’t necessary. Companies could create a company blog, host internal webinars, and use Facebook to share positive stories externally.
Author’s Conclusion
The author, Pamela Babcock, stated that almost three out of four social networkers spend at least some of their workday on social networking sites and social networking isn’t just for the young. Her conclusion is that social media or networks can help business leaders, human resources, and ethics professionals improve the workplace culture. But the companies need a policy that is very clear about what is acceptable and not......

...Design of a Social Media Manager
As the Internet continues to manifest itself into the central platform for a vast majority of retailers, the need for a well-versed marketing manager has developed a new target: social media. These new outlets can determine either marketing success or a quick marketing suicide if the correct individuals are not in place to manage and maintain the company accounts in the most respectable manner. It would be of the highest regard for a company to acquire an individual who emanated a legally sound capability to run these accounts. With the development of environments like SnapChat, Twitter, or Tumblr, seemingly limited but socially fruitful social media platforms, there begs a need for someone who is well versed in the legal necessities of mass marketing in a direct-to-the-consumer environment. Being able to push an advertisement quickly to an individual’s phone or tablet would potentially make for a very rapid sales environment on the front end. However, the legal ramifications of a misinterpreted ad, poor market analysis, or violating some level of privacy would require a more proactive approach to the potential legal issues caused by this form of placement. This can all be solved by having someone who is not only legal-minded, but able to function as the point of human interface for a corporation, bringing in a more personal feel to a brand (Denmark, 2013).
The entire scope of social media requires an individual who can make the best......

...Social Media
Legal 100
November 30, 2013
Social Media
If you were to ask this simple question “What does social media mean?” The reply will vary according to the social status of each individual. Some people have become so dependent on the social media of their choice, to the extreme that it has become addictive, while others may see that social media in today’s society is destroying our ability to communicate “the old fashion way” face to face. On the other hand, many businesses are finding that social media is an integral part of their operations in order to effectively reach consumers, launch new products, and generate large customer bases. It’s become a very sufficient, dependable, and effective way for them to reach their goals by utilizing it as a marketing tool. There are many social media outlets to talk about; I have chosen “YouTube” because of its ability for creativity that I feel is necessary when marketing your business. YouTube’s vision is, “A Daily Destination for Creativity, Learning and Free Expression” (YouTube, 2013). Anytime there is a use of social media when it relates to your business; there definitely must be management in place that can approve and monitor every legal aspect of the process with the ability to communicate with knowledge that will protect the company, and also provide solutions to any legal problems that may occur as result of the merge. According to Bagley (2013), “The Legally Astute Manager”, “At its core, legal......

...Student:XXX
Professor:XXX
National Labor Relations Board and Social Media Policies
National Labor Relations Board has been an important federal agency that administers and enforces the National Labor Relations Act of 1935, being and important middleman in relationship between employers and employees. The area of our interest is section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. §157) that permits employees to engage in so called "protected concerted activity” and the recent changes that needed to be brought in order for the Act to catch up with modern day technology advances.
Internet has penetrated our lives and social networks started to play an important role in our daily communication. As with everything else, employment and issues associated with it are often being discussed between employees. Reasonably, there is a number of concerns regarding this particular type of online activity and NLRB had to step in in order to clarify its standing regarding these concerns and provide social network communication policies.
Social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have become the central communication arena for various companies’ employees and social media policies were established by various employers in order to limit what and how can be expressed when communicating online. The idea is to discourage potential discussions that portray the company in a negative way. Employers also don’t want their...

...Keara Ingram
HRM 410
Week 2 Assignment
Social Media Policies: Are They Legal?
1. The articles that I found online were named “10 people who learned social media can get you fired” and “Employee fired from Taco Bell for licking shells”. Both articles were related, in the matter that they discussed the termination of employees all over for representing the company in which they worked for improperly and in fact left some disturbing rumors as a result of their conduct at the workplace.
The articles discussed that a young man from California was terminated at Taco Bell as crew worker for posting a picture of him on his social media Facebook page of him licking a stack of taco shells. There were several individuals who were outraged by his conduct and the picture itself was shared through Facebook over 2,000 times. His argument was that the shells that he licked were used for testing when the Doritos Locos Tacos were initially introduced on the market and they were going to be thrown out and not consumed by customers.
In addition to his own actions, across America there were several other incidents in which triggered consumers all over. One incident occurred at a Kentucky Fried Chicken location where a young lady was exterminated from her job for uploading a picture of her licking a pile of mashed potatoes from the fast food restaurant. Another incident occurred at a Burger King location where a co-worker had taken a picture of his feet inside of two lettuce......

...Outline:
1. Social Media good or bad
2. It all started with AOL.
a. Social media may very well be helping professionals network and new or existing businesses grow but are we willing to allow it to hinder the development of social skills and cause a new dangerous addiction?
3. Professional
a) Pros: Job hunting, networking, latest and greatest in your field
b) Cons: Companies with policies, distractions from work, not having a “filter” or restrictions
4. Personal
a) Pros: Communication with family, meeting new and old friends, new ideas and activities
b) Cons: Hacking and virus', permanent postings, addiction
5. Children
a) Pros: Be computer literate, connection with family members, accepting of diversity
b) Cons: Face-to-face time lost, less playing outside, college/job interference
6. Education, moderation, self control
Social Media: Does it Do More harm than Good?
It's hard to believe social media started in 1985. Quantum Computer Services Inc., which later becomes America Online Inc. launched its first online service, Q-Link, according to Washingtonpost.com. Shortly after in 1989 Instant Messenger and the greeting "Welcome! You've got mail" debuted. However, the AOL that most of society recalls didn't become available until 1995. This is the stepping stone for My Space, facebook, and Twitter. Social networking sites have grown so popular today that many individuals, especially teenagers, reference them in...

...it terminated five employees for “venting” after hours on Facebook about their jobs. The post included one employee’s complaint that a coworker didn’t feel she was working hard enough and another employee’s commiseration that she didn’t “have a life”.
The NLRB stated that ““Employees have a protected right to discuss matters affecting their employment amongst themselves,” and it was “irrelevant … that the [employees] were not trying to change their working conditions and that they did not communicate their concerns to Hispanics United.”
The agency was ordered to reinstate the fired employees with full back pay. Employers should ensure that their social media and internet policies do not facially violate the NLRA by prohibiting employee discussions of working conditions. And, while employers can still prohibit misuse of social media - including for the dissemination of trade secrets or confidential and proprietary information, trade libel, defamation, or harassment - employers must scrupulously avoid violating the NLRA by disciplining employees for legitimate, online discussions of working conditions.
Agreeing with the NLRB’s decision
I agree with NLRB’s decision. The agency – Hispanics United of Buffalo should have taken other measures in consideration, opposed to terminating the employees, I think that action was too extreme for the situation.
After all, the employees only posted about their concerns, which should not be considered a violation of the agency, since no......

...laws that may be implicated by an employer’s social media policy. Considering rapidly evolving social media technology and legislation, any such discussion would risk being outdated. Thus, employers with or considering social media policies should consult an attorney to ensure that their policies are consistent with existing (and rapidly evolving) laws affecting social media. With this caveat in mind, the following non-exhaustive list of guidelines provides a general framework for an effective employer social media policy and its implementation:
* Employers with social media policies must ensure that their policies do not prescribe employee social media use protected by the NLRA. As a general rule, the policy cannot restrict employees from using social media to discuss the terms and conditions of their employment. Discussions on social media by employees are considered “concerted activity” and thus a policy restricting such discussions would constitute an unfair labor practice under the NLRA.
* Employers should know that any ambiguity in a social media policy is construed against them. Broad polices are therefore at higher risk of violating the NLRA because they are more likely open to differing interpretations. If an employee could reasonably construe a provision in a social media policy to prohibit using social media to discuss the terms and conditions of employment, the policy does not comport with the NLRA. Policies with blanket prohibitions against......

...Social Media Policy
Social Media pertains to user-created audio, video, text or multimedia works that are shared in an electronic environment, such as Facebook, Twitter, email, personal blogs or instant messages. In as such, the policy of our company is that employees may use Social Media for their personal use while off the clock and in compliance with our company’s terms related to Social Media.
Please note that conduct that is illegal or in direct violation of the company’s policy on Social Media will still be deemed a violation of policy or illegal if it occurs online. Employees are entitled to express their opinions and ideas, but have a responsibility not to violate the company’s policies or negatively reflect on the organization.
When communicating online employees should never speak on behalf of the company or about the company without prior authorization from management or marketing, or hold a position that has been approved to speak on behalf of the company. The company reserves the right to restrict and monitor employee’s use of social media. The employee should remember to: Be respectful; Be authentic and always state your name; Be careful and protect your personal information; Be responsible and act with integrity.
The employee should never disclose confidential information. The employee should never disclose patient information. The employee should never disclose personnel information. The employee should never disclose legal information. The employee......

...Case Study Week 2: Social Media Polices: Are They Legal?
Keisha Rivera
DeVry University
MGMT 410
Professor Miller
Case Study Week 2: Social Media Policies: Are They Legal?
The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is part of the United States government. It is an independent agency that is in charge of holding elections to represent the labor union, and also investigates and remedies the unfair labor practices (National Labors Relations Board, n.d.). Many companies have policies set into play regarding the restriction of social media usage while on company property. Many organizations are afraid that if an employee is utilizing social media accounts while at work that they may be posting negative comments about the organization. This will give the company a bad name.
NLRB Facebook Firing
An employee fro a Connecticut company had posted certain negative comments about a supervisor on their personal Facebook account. The employee was fired after posting about her supervisor, calling him a “scumbag”. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employees are allowed to criticize the company as well as the leaders on social media. “Employers that set social media policies that prohibit or attempt to prohibit such activity can be in violation” (Northway, 2011, para. 6).
Decision
I agree with the decision of the NLRB to pursue this case. The company was clearly in the wrong by firing the employee for the remarks she made on her personal Facebook account. ......

...Social Media or Anti-social Media?
In 2013 a study found that teenagers were experiencing a decline in intimate friendships as they chose Facebook over face-to-face communications. The image above displays a young girl on her computer; she seems to be focusing intensely on her computer screen. She is wearing a black jacket with black eye shadow and she looks exhausted, which is associated usually with emo teens or depression. The title on the image contradicts purpose and meaning of what social-media means to most people. Social media was administered to help keep friends and families in contact from all over the world, but according surveys taken, social media is actually stopping people from communicating face-to-face. Why has social media made people more antisocial rather than making them social? Why has social media replaced outdoor activities and face to face conversations almost completely? How are parents or adults stepping up to help make their children or friends more sociable? Why is social media an escape outlet for people’s emotions? How does it contribute to making people anti-social? What are reasons why social media can make a positive impact on our daily lives?
The girl’s black eye shadow and black hoodie portray a state of loneliness and depression, proposing that social media is causing our youth to be depressed or anti-social. Aside from the fact that the girl is on a social media site she stares at the screen with a blank expression. Conforming to......